Product DescriptionGeorge Meredith, OM (1828-1909) was an English novelist and poet. He read law and was articled as a solicitor, but abandoned that profession for journalism and poetry shortly after marrying Mary Ellen Nicolls, a widowed daughter of Thomas Love Peacock, in 1849. He was twenty-one years old; she was thirty. He collected his early writings, first published in periodicals, into Poems, which was published to some acclaim in 1851. His wife left him and their five-year old son in 1858; she died three years later. Her departure was the inspiration for The Ordeal of Richard Feverel (1859), his first "major novel". As an advisor to publishers, Meredith is credited with helping Thomas Hardy start his literary career, and was an early associate of J. M. Barrie. Before his death, Meredith was honored from many quarters: he succeeded Lord Tennyson as president of the Society of Authors; in 1905 he was appointed to the Order of Merit by King Edward VII. His works include: The Shaving of Shagpat (1856), Farina (1857), Vittoria (1867) and The Egoist (1879). ... Read more

Product Description CONTENTS: The Shaving of Shagpat The Ordeal of Richard Feverel Sandra Belloni Rhoda Fleming Evan Harrington Vittoria The Adventures of Harry Richmond Beauchamp's Career The Egoist The Tragic Comedians Diana of the Crossways One of Our Conquerors Lord Ormont and his Aminta The Amazing Marriage Celt and Saxon Farina Case of General Ople The Tale of Chloe The House on the Beach The Gentleman of Fifty The Sentimentalists On The Idea Of Comedy And Of The Uses Of The Comic Spirit Miscellaneous Prose Introduction To W. M. Thackeray's "The Four Georges" A Pause In The Strife. Concession To The Celt. Leslie Stephen. Correspondence From The Seat Of War In Italy Letters Written To The 'Morning Post' From The Seat Of War In Italy. Poetry: A Reading of Life, and Other Poems Poems, Volume 1. Poems, Volume 2. Poems, Volume 3. ... Read more

Product DescriptionThis edition of Meredith's satirical novel of manners reprints the textof 1897, which incorporated Meredith's revisions to the first editionof 1879.The editor has corrected some errors which escaped Meredith's attentionand has provided exceptionally useful notes on the novel.

"Backgrounds" includes Meredith's "Essay on Comedy and the Uses of theComic Spirit."

One of the finest novels of the Victorian century
Meredith's masterpiece is woefully underread, and it is a sad truth that the Norton scholarly edition is the only edition of THE EGOIST now in print. This is not an easy read, however: Meredith's caustic dialogue foreshadows henry James's in its mastery of ambiguities, and his witty paradoxes surpass even Oscar Wilde (who admitted his debt to Meredith). The plot is a simple one: the wealthy handsome and titled Sir Willoughby Patterne, having been jilted by one fiancée, proposes to another young woman, theintelligent and intensely likeable Clara Middleton, who accepts him; before very long, Clara has realized what a monstrous egoist Sir Willoughby is, but not after it seems too late for her to go back on her word. This is one of the most brilliant studies of mortification ever accomplished, and what makes it all the more amazing is that Meredith clearly modelled Sir Willoughby in part on himself and the extraordinarily sympathetic Clara on his wife, Mary Ellen Peacock, who deserted Meredith for another man. This book is funny, thought-provoking, and exceptionally poignant: there are moments when you read it that your heart will go into your stomach as you sympathize with Clara's appalling plight.

A Great Comedy of Manners
This is one of the funniest novels I've ever read. The basic story is simple:Sir Willoughby Patterne's betrothal to the young Clara Middleton is threatened when she realizes his enormous love of himself.The novelconsists of Clara's efforts to get out of the engagement without doingsomething so scandalous as eloping with someone else.

The charactersare drawn vividly and with depth. The incidents are both amusing andrealistic. Clara Middleton is one of the great witty heroines of Englishliterature, perhaps the wittiest Victorian heroine.

The beginning can beslow going. Meredith likes to use twenty words when other people might useten. He also likes to play verbal games.As you proceed in the novel andget used to the style, you can have a lot of fun picking out the puns,allusions, etc.

This is Meredith's best novel. The plot is tightlycontrolled and the ending is pure comedy in the tradition of Fielding,Austen and Thackeray. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who feelscomfortable reading Victorian English and likes a good love-comedy.
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Product DescriptionThese little scoundrel imps, who have attained to some respectability as the dogs and pets of the Comic Spirit, had been curiously attentive three years earlier, long before the public announcement of his engagement to the beautiful Miss Durham, on the day of Sir Willoughby's majority, when Mrs. Mountstuart Jenkinson said her word of him. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

"Reality is the offender; delusion our treasure that we are robbed of."
In "Decay of Lying", Oscar Wilde's essay in dialogue form, he discusses George Meredith:

"if the man's fine spirit did not revolt against the noisy assertions of realism, his style would be quite sufficient of itself to keep life at a respectful distance"

It is a wonderful summary of Meredith, particularly in the case of The Egoist. The novel combines some really interesting and impressive realism of character with a style that is almost opaque-- a style that requires some adjustment for the modern reader. It certainly took me a quite a few pages to get used to the diction of Meredith as an author. In particular, the seemingly endless and theatrical dialogue sections were often difficult.

This said, once I stopped fighting the style and really let myself read the book, I was very glad that I did. The plot is perhaps a little bit thin for the number of pages (602 pages of small print!) but that only gives Meredith room to develop the characters. He does that through his use of dialogue; he teaches us with our ear what these characters are like and who they really are.

Willoughby (the Egoist) is a character who should be familiar to virtually every woman alive. He wraps himself in a pretense of romance in a way that only serves to disguise his need for control. The two women, Clara and Laetitia, are both bound by the possibilities of their time and both learn to be realists rather than romantics when faced with the Egoist. The interplay between the three is delighful, and often genuinely very funny. When I first started the book, I would not have believed that I would ever laugh out loud reading it, but there were several moments where I did just that.

In short, a really good read. Meredith deserves his reputation-- both for his skill and for the effort needed to enjoy the work. Pair this book with The Way We Live Now by Trollope, and you have a nice look at the choices of the Victorian woman as seen by the male writers of the day.

The Egoist: Says Who?
THE EGOIST is a novel that seems to wish to place the "egoist" of the title as the dramatic center, but in his utter flatness and predictability, Sir Willoughby Patterne emerges as hardly more than the pun on his name indicates. Sir Willoughby is a totally, self-centered egoist who exits George Meredith's book just as he enters it. He is what we would today call a "player." His attitudes toward women and the responsibilities of betrothal customs are the stuff of exaggerated comic opera. He is engaged to Constantia Durham, who promptly shows good sense by dumping him for Harry Oxford. Such a brush-off only bruises his fragile ego, a situation than can be cured only by getting involved with another adoring woman. Enter Laetitia Dale, who has long loved him.They court, building up moderate suspense as to his intentions. Then, quite inexplicably, Sir Willoughby takes off for parts unknown, promising to return some day.Three years later, he returns, bringing with him his cousin Vernon Whitford. Laetitia expects Sir Willoughby to pick up where he left off, and this he does, but in his own way, not hers. He begins to court Clara Middleton, who, like the earlier Constantia soon realizes that Sir Willoughby and monogamy are not synonymous.She plans to dump him too, but is unwilling to disobey her father who has arranged the marriage because of his fondness for Sir Willoughby's wine.Clara can break off the engagement only according to the rules of the game which demand that she prove that he broke the rules first.Sir Willoughby gives her the needed proof when he switches affection back to Laetitia.Clara's betrothal is broken, and when Laetitia agrees to marry him, she makes it clear that she does so not for love but for money.

All of the above is less an interesting plot than the logical working out of the predictable character of Sir Willoughby, who bears more than a passing resemblance to the equally pontifical Mr. Collins from PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. By default, the reader is forced to look elsewhere for someone to carry the burden of saying and doing interesting things.This task falls to Clara Middleton, who has to use her wits to balance breaking an undesirable betrothal to a comic store Lothario and not offending her stern father who wants the marriage to proceed. The entire novel is geared toward setting up the details so that Sir Willoughby gets his richly deserved comic comeuppance.Readers today may find many of the passages excessively ornate and lushly imaged a not unsurprising event when one considers that Meredith thought of himself primarily as a poet who wrote novels to pay the bills.Still, there are enough moments of comic opera to warrant a limited "thumbs up."

One of the funniest novels ever written
Meredith's masterpiece has been unjustly neglected in recent years, although it is one of the funniest novels in the English canon. If you like the comedies of Trollope and Austen, Meredith is a real treat (although hisstyle is much more mannered, and his approach more difficult to appreciate,than either Trollope's or Austen's). The genius of THE EGOIST is not onlyin exposing Sir Willoughby's faults, and Clara's mounting panic as shecan't maneuver her way out of her engagement, but in its serious appraisalof the difficulties faced by Victorian women in their limited possibilitiesafter childhood. Meredith was an enormous influence on the latermodernists, such as Woolf, Joyce, and particularly Forster, but althoughthey more often mention THE ORDEAL OF RICHARD FEVERAL as Meredith'skeystone text THE EGOIST is the one to enjoy.

Witty and funny, this novel is quite memorable.
This novel was written, and takes place in, 19th Century England. 'The Egoist' is Sir Patterne, a well to do gent in search of a wife. After being jilted once, he pursues Miss Clara Middleton. The majority of the novel takes a look at their engagement, and her doubts about it. There is a wealth of clever dialog to be found in this novel, much of which stays with the reader (or at least this one) well after the last page is turned. Most of the comedy comes from Meredith's exposing of the Egoist (of which there is more than one in this novel).

Miss Middleton actually has the attention of a few men, and this adds to both the drama and comedy of the novel. A sample of the witty dialog should be provided so you may decide whether to get this book. A friend of Clara's gets wind of her doubts. He can't come right out and let her know, but he hints at it. He starts off by informing her that he 'has written half an essay on honeymoons'. She responds by asking 'whether that is the same as a half written essay'. He tells her 'that it is, except that my essay is completely told, but just from one side.' 'And which side is that' she asks. 'The grooms' he replies.

So I would suggest that you give this novel a try, especially if you like 19th century writers.
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Product DescriptionThe Future of War makes a brilliant case that the twenty-first century, even more than the twentieth, will be the American century, and that America's global dominance will be associated with a revolution in weaponry and warfare as basic as the one that arose with the development of gunpowder five hundred years ago. From the era of flintlocks and cannons to the day of automatic weapons and heavy artillery, the waging of war-while undeniably changing in many aspects-has continued to rely on the technology that began with the use of black powder to expel a projectile through a tube.

In The Future of War, the authors argue that this Age of Ballistics is ending and we are entering a fundamentally new period, the Age of Precision-Guided Munitions (PGMs), the so-called smart weapons that will antiquate the traditional way of making war. Where guns and artillery are inherently inaccurate and need to be fired thousands of times to hit one target, these new projectiles are precise and lethally efficient; while ballistic weapons platforms must be brought within range of the battlefield, PGMs can devastate from any distance.

The authors show how the innovations in weapons technology will affect America's defense strategies on land and sea, in air and in space, reshaping our military forces, while confronting us with new strategic challenges as America enters the twenty-first century as the dominant power on the globe. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

A very fun read
Now, I read this book for fun - and fun it was. A lot of interesting ideas related to warfare from both past and future are there. Some things seem to be a bit credibility bending (again, to an amateur) but it is the book you'd try to read in one sitting since it is so well-written.

Also, keep in mind that it reads like a book written in 2010, while it harks from late 90s.

Worthy of space on the bookshelf of any military science enthusist
Author George Friedman is an insightful scholar who took the time to conduct research and analysis to produce this body of work.I won't go into the details of what the book is about, since that's best left to the readers to discover (not to mention other reviewers already said plenty).The book is full of historical and statistical data that backs up the thesis, which makes the argument convincing.

I have two issues with this book, you could say they are differences of opinion, which lead me to gave it only 4 out of 5 stars instead of the full 5 stars:

1) It's more of a technical analysis on the weapons (means) to make war, and therefore one of the book's conclusion is that due to the birth and proliferation of Precision Guided Munitions, human, especially civilian casualties will decrease in future wars.It didn't take into account human emotions involved in destructive activities such as war, and the human propensity for destruction and inflicting pain and suffering on others.Human beings may have the means to avoid extra bloodshed in war, but in times of stress, human beings are known to make illogical decisions based on primal instincts that, for lack of better words, creates un-due amount of destruction and suffering.

2) The book restricted the definition of war to a conventional one, and only analyzed its means and future within this framework.In this day and age of globalization, multi-lateral interests, and dependency on information and technology, convensional warfare is only one way of waging war, and certainly not all encompassing.One can view the recent proliferation of terrorism and terrorism attacks as another way of waging war, one that transcends national boundaries and convensional means.So a more befitting title to the book should be "The Future of Convensional War".Overlooking other non-convensional means to wage war can cost the US dearly in terms of national interest.For an insight on non-convensional warfare, I recommend the book (more of an long essay) "Unrestricted Warfare" written by two PLA colonels.The translated version can be readily found on the internet.

Loved it.
Note the book is 1998, and a lot has happened since.But it's a very good piece of writing on the history of weaponry, senility, obsolescence, developments, inventions, command, etc.Covers land-sea-air all very well, and space also.For the avid follower of defense, this is old news. But it was a great overview for me.

A graduate course in thinking
"The Future of War" is for anyone interested in military matters, or anyone interested in thinking.It's a great book about warfare, but even if you don't have much interest in war, you'll find a treasure-trove of that oft-cited skill, 'critical thinking'.

The book begins with the long history of war, providing insight into things I never considered.For example, the author explains how David was able to kill Goliath, who was burdened with very heavy defensive armor at the expense of mobility.

The book draws a comparison to present day Goliaths - the huge armored tanks and the aircraft carrier battle groups - and how both strategy and technology is changing the usefulness of those weapons systems.I was surprised when I realized that the immense power of a carrier battle group is primarily focused on protecting the carrier, which in turn only has a few dozen attack aircraft from which it launches offensive weapons.I knew some of the data previously, but the book assembled that data in a way I hadn't considered.

The importance of sea lane control, and the analogy to control of certain orbits in space, was fascinating.There's so much more, but you'll have to read the book.It's a keeper, even though it was written several years ago.

The Future is Now?

This book is about the coming American epoch. This author predicts that the face of war in the 21st Century will be dominated by the United States. His Prediction? The 21st Century is the American Century.
The author presents a very complelling and optimistic survey. In one sense it is a traditional approach. Warfare will still be waged in accordance with rules and principles, but, the focus of this book is on technology and how that technology will shape the future of warfare.
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Product DescriptionCelt and Saxon - Complete is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by George Meredith is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of George Meredith then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Product DescriptionOriginally published in 1902. Author: George Meredith Language: English Keywords: Literature / Poetry Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Obscure Press are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork. ... Read more

Product DescriptionThis book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Product DescriptionThe book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Drama / Shakespeare; Literary Collections / Essays; Literary Criticism / Drama; Literary Criticism / Shakespeare; Performing Arts / Comedy; ... Read more

Product DescriptionThe Amazing Marriage - Complete is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by George Meredith is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of George Meredith then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Product DescriptionEight original solos with piano accompaniment by the master of xylophone ragtime music. Includes information on style, performance practices, and a discography of Green's music. ... Read more

Product DescriptionThis scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishings Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the worlds literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

Product DescriptionLike to some deep-chested organ whose grand inspiration, Serenely majestic in utterance, lofty and calm, Interprets to mortals with melody great as its burthen The mystical harmonies chiming for ever throughout the bright spheres. ... Read more

Product DescriptionThis is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product DescriptionQuotes and Images From The Works of George Meredith is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by George Meredith is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of George Meredith then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Product DescriptionThe first chapter of this reinterpretation of Meredith's thought and art deals with his basic concepts of life and the literary theory they invoked. The second chapter describes the artistic methodology behind and characteristics of the fictive world he created. The remaining chapters study Meredith's fiction from four perspectives: the comic, the romantic, the tragic and pathetic, and the tragicomic. ... Read more